62,000 bolts from the blue

QUESTION On May 27, there were 62,000 lightning strikes. How were they counted?

Lightning is a huge electrical discharge that flows between clouds, from a cloud to air or from a cloud to the ground.

the charge develops because of the collisions between tiny ice particles within thunder clouds.

Detecting lightning is important, not only because strikes are dangerous, but also for tracking torrential rain and tornadoes.

the Met Office’s Lightning Arrival time Difference network (AtDnet) detects and locates lightning strikes.

AtDnet takes advantage of the fact that when lightning strikes, it emits pulses of radio waves at a much lower frequency than normal radio waves. the pulses are called sferics.

When a strike occurs, the network of sensors will pick up the sferics at slightly different times, and these readings can be used to determine the exact location of the thunderstorm. Each sferic has a unique waveform, similar to a fingerprint, and AtDnet can separate out individual ones and thus determine the number of lightning strikes with a high degree of accuracy.

Dr Ken Warren, Glasgow.

QUESTION What are the worst lyrics by a great songwriter?

FurthEr to earlier answers, my favourite worst lyrics are from the 1961 Bobby Vee hit, Staying in. ‘I punched my buddy in the nose

after lunch ‘Now I’m in trouble ’cause the

dean saw the punch ‘He was tellin’ things that were

not true about her ‘So I let him have it in

the cafeteria.’ Mike Ellis, Wirral.